A Large Room

Practical Prayers

2011-12-23T18:04:00.000-08:00

We had cake with dinner tonight. I greatly appreciated Lily's request in her dinner prayer for a blessing the "the cake will not make the children too hyper for mom and dad to control at bedtime tonight" :-)

Keeping up with these kids...

2011-10-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

...makes me laugh and cry

Lily quote (when I told her breakfast would be done in half and hour): "When you reflect that half an hour is really only thirty minutes, it doesn't seem that long."

Mark's shenanigans: You always know there's trouble when the toddler is being TOO quiet. I walked into the bathroom and found him with the toilet lid half lifted, a wet washcloth in his hand, and a distinctly guilty look on his face. He had apparently been dipping the washcloth in the toilet then sucking the water out of it. Hopefully my theory that we're already immune to all the germs in the house is true...and it's a really good thing my older kids have learned to flush!

Lily's new dresses

2011-08-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Lily recently received several cute dresses as hand-me-downs from a friend. She wanted me to take photos of her modeling the dresses for grandma and grandpa to see. Here she is!

Birthday Boy!

2011-08-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm a couple of months late getting this posted--here's Mark's first birthday, and my first attempt at a gluten-free cake. The strawberries came from our garden. I'm really not sure what he thought of the cake, but he did enjoy climbing on the table and sticking his hands into what was left after everyone was served!

Diapers...

2011-06-19T06:15:00.001-07:00

Dan and I ran some rough calculations this morning, and figured that I have probably changed about 24000 diapers over the course of the past 8 years.

I think that qualifies me for expert diaper-changer status...

1950's maternity dress

2011-06-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

I've been sorting through books as part of a de-cluttering process. I was looking through a book published in 1952, entitled "Nurse's Handbook of Obstetrics"--something I picked up at a library book sale. I came across this drawing of maternity dress patterns. Um, those women look spectacularly NOT pregnant...

Lily's Speech and an F-16 flyover

2011-06-09T06:57:00.000-07:00

Lily has been participating in a Liberty Girls club. Her group has been reading through the Samantha books in the American Girls series, and at each meeting they discuss one book and participate in activities connected with them. Yesterday was their last meeting for this school year, and the girls had each prepared a speech on "Progress in America" (Samantha gave a speech on that topic in one of the books). Lily chose to talk about airplanes and air travel--but right in the middle of the speech an F-16 fighter jet went streaking overhead. She had to wait until the sound of the jet engine died down before finishing her speech. She was upset at first, but after we explained that people go to a lot of trouble to arrange flyovers for special events she thought it was pretty cool. Very appropriate to the topic of the speech!

Bathroom Remodel Part 2

2011-06-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

Looking better...

And better! The red behind the tub is not our color scheme (though I actually think it's pretty)--it's a special sealant paint that goes under the tile to keep water from seeping through (hopefully preventing a re-do of this whole thing in 5 years!)

Too bad I didn't take any photos of the bathroom before we started tearing things out--it was exceptionally ugly--20 year old linoleum, very sloppy amateur tiling (seriously, there was grout all over the tiles), and an aweful looking old jetted tub. Maybe I should be grateful for the rotted subfloor since it gave me an excuse to redo things!

Bathroom Remodel

2011-05-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

We had a problem with water damage to our bathroom's subfloor (we knew about the problem, although not it's extent, when we bought the home)--so we're doing some remodeling work. OK, we're not doing most of the work--we've hired a contractor, who has been fabulous to work with. The picture above shows the new tub we ordered--cast iron, because Dan wanted something that will last. It's not ready to be installed yet, so the children haved turned it into a boat in the living room. That hole near one end was obviously designed just to hold a mast!

Here's the bathroom with the old tub and half the subfloor torn out...We don't have another tub or shower, so anyone who wants to shower this weekend gets to go to the gym!

So much of the world left to see...

2011-05-25T09:49:00.000-07:00

visited 25 states (11.1%)
Create your own visited map of The World

I saw this on a friend's blog and thought it would be fun. Obviously I'm going to need a couple more lifetimes to see the whole world. Especially given that I've only seen a small portion of each country visited.

New additions to the family

2011-05-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

These sweet girls (we think) joined our family a couple of weeks ago. They're beautiful kittens and very tolerant of all the love they get from the kids.
After a drizzly morning the ~~rain~~ sun is shining. I love springtime! Luke and Esther are fighting, I think I'll send them outside.

Walking

2011-05-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

Give me more!

2011-05-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

Esther caught me sneaking a bite of ice cream while I was fixing breakfast this morning. I decided it was only fair to share what was left in the carton (it wasn't much) so I got out three bowls--one for each of my older children. When she saw me dividing the ice cream into the bowls, Esther protested "I don't think Lily and Luke want ice cream!"
"Oh, I think they do," I replied.
"Well, make sure you give me more!" came the response.

I guess sharing doesn't come naturally at age 3...

Cookie Making

2011-05-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

Growing up, my family had a rule traditionally honored in the breach: No Babies On The Table. as you can see, I have continued the tradition.

We were making cookies for a cub scout pack meeting last Thursday. I had plenty of volunteers to help.

Some of the volunteers were actually helpful!

Mark, 10 months

2011-04-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

I owe the photo to my brother, I really need to find my camera...

Missing the sun

2011-03-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

Utah gets a lot of sun, even in the winter, but it's gloomy and rainy today. I'm ready for spring! I'm itching to get out into the garden--I planted 10 fruit trees, and I've been building some square foot garden boxes for the kids. And we've got tomato and bell pepper seedlings started. But I want to get outside and get my hands into the dirt!

I have the sweetest husband in the world

2011-03-03T07:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday evening I was telling my husband how frustrated I felt--baby Mark has been super clingy lately, he wants me to carry him everywhere (all 30 lbs of him), and won't nap for more than 15 minutes at a stretch. I know it's because he's going through a rough patch of teething right now, but I can't get anything done. My house is a mess, I'm still not unpacked, and I'm trying hard not to neglect the children's need for my attention. I'm not prone to depression, but I admit I've been feeling a bit down--I really hate the feeling of not being able to get ANYTHING done because whatever I start is interrupted, and there is so very much that needs to be done...

Dan's response was to tell me to call a friend and go shopping, get out of the house, he would watch the kids. So I did. I spent some happy time (and money too) in a bookstore, picked up some groceries I needed, and came home at bedtime.

I felt so much better, and so very grateful for a husband who was willing to sacrifice his own need for rest after a long day to let me get out.

Esther's snack

2011-02-09T11:38:00.001-08:00

Esther is 3, and she likes to do things by herself. She also likes to report her activities to me. Here is her report from a minute ago:

E: I was putting honey on raisins (pause) for a snack.
mom: hmm
E: Because I was hungry.
mom: that sounds like a nice snack.

This is where I get in trouble with my housekeeping. Instead of thinking: "uh-oh, what kind of a mess is my child making in the kitchen?" I think: "how nice, my child is being self-reliant and fixing her own snack!"
Unfortunately, self-reliance and messes tend to go together where children are involved...

Getting Settled

2011-02-09T08:47:00.001-08:00

We're in our new home, busy unpacking (yes, we've been here a couple of weeks--but unpacking is an ongoing process) and organizing. There is so much more to moving than just going to a new place and being in a new house. Here's my partial list of things that go in to "getting settled":

--finding a home
--working out the finances of the move
--learning your way around
--registering cars
--getting new driver's licenses
--homeschool registration (and learning the laws of the new state)
--finding new doctors--family practice, pediatrician, specialists...
--finding and choosing activities and classes for the kids--music teachers, sports, etc.
--finding and getting involved with local homeschool groups
--learning where to shop--where to find what and who has the best prices
--finding service providers for whatever the family's needs are--hair cuts, plumbers, repairmen, auto shop, piano tuner...honestly the list is endless
--updating mailing addresses and subscriptions
--adjusting and getting involved in a new church
--making friends (we all need them)
--Oh yea, unpacking and organizing

I'm sure others could chime in, the list is far from finished. For those with children in school, substitute the homeschooling items for new school registration and adjustment issues. And of course I haven't had to deal with any of the myriad issues that arise when a move is to another country--I have no idea how my mother managed to navigate through 8 different international moves. It's hard enough finding my way around the local grocery store when I don't know the lay-out, at least I don't have to rely on the pictures on cans to figure out what is inside! Of course, the real challenge is that regular life has to go on while all this is happening--meals have to be fixed, children need to be taken care of, people get sick...

Growing up, I always felt like it took me 18 months to feel settled in a place. Of course, we were dealing with all of the living overseas, needing to learn a new language issues on top of regular moving issues; even so, it just takes a long time for the dust and chaos of moving to settle down, and for a place to really start feeling like home.

Parable of the Grocery Store

2011-02-09T08:46:00.001-08:00

Another homeschooler posted this, and I liked the analogy so I am reposting. Her information is at the bottom.

Let's say the government made a law that we are assigned our closest
grocery store to shop at. We can only shop at our assigned store unless
we want a boundary exception, which are scarce. At first, we think, "OK,
I like my local Albertson's so I'm happy with this new law."
A few weeks later, you discover that a couple miles down the road, your
friends tell you that Wal-mart has cheaper canned goods than
Albertson's. You are frustrated that there is a difference in what you
are getting. Shouldn't they all be the same if they are operated by the
government?
Two months later, you realize the produce at your Albertson's is rancid
all the time. You can never get good, fresh produce. At the Fry's
however, everyone boasts of the best, freshest produce they have ever
had! You LOVE fresh produce and would rather drive a distance and pay
more to shop at Fry's for the fresh produce than at Albertson's. You
apply for a boundary exception and you are told there is a two year
waiting list. What? Two years to wait until you can get good produce?
But, your family needs good produce now.
You want to sell your house and move closer to Fry's so that it would be
your assigned store, but you cannot afford any of the houses in that
area.
You are discouraged, but your neighbors seem fine with not having fresh
produce. They accept canned vegetables in place of fresh produce and
make the best of the situation. They apply their time towards trying to
help Albertson's acquire better produce. They volunteer to help and see
some improvements at times. They encourage all of their neighbors to not
go anywhere else, but to stay with Albertson's so that they can improve
their situation.
A woman next door is frustrated and decides not to even bother with
boundary exceptions or the assigned grocery store. She decides to grow
her own food and plants a garden. She raises chickens and a pig. She
works all day long on raising her own food. You and your neighbors are
stunned. The work she puts into her own food seems ludicrous to you. You
would never put in that time and effort for your own food. The grocery
store saves you a lot of time and effort. Plus, almost everyone you
know, except the woman next door, uses the grocery store.
The woman next door toils all day long on her food production. Sometimes
her carrots are small, her tomatoes eaten by worms, and her lettuce
wilts before she can use it all. The neighborhood laughs saying, "You
should just stop wasting your time! The grocery store is so much more
convenient." The woman next door is saddened that no one encourages her
in her efforts. She feels lonely and judged for being different.
Over time as you get by with canned produce even though you would prefer
fresh, the woman next door has perfected her food production skills. Her
tomatoes are getting plumper and wormless, her carrots are turning out
better, even though they are still smaller than the ones at the grocery
store. Sometimes, she even has extra zucchini to share with her
neighbors. Her zucchini is really the best you've ever seen.
This is the same as education. One family may value a certain sports
program (canned food) or academic program (produce) than what is offered
at your school. Some may even choose to grow their own (educate their
children at home).
Shouldn't we have the choice? Shouldn't we stop judging each other for
their choices and uplift and encourage each other?
I do not want anyone's choice taken away. I want all to have what they
feel is best for their family. I hope everyone will respect the need for
choice and support boundary exception, open enrollment, charter school
and homeschool laws that allow these freedoms.
By Celeste Batchelor -- February 8,
2011http://batchelorfam .blogspot. comhttp:/ /springfieldtjed .blogspot. com

Joy to the World!

2010-12-24T08:07:00.000-08:00

A very merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Update--we're in Utah

2010-12-05T07:56:00.000-08:00

Quick update for those who want to know what's going on in our lives! We're in Utah, staying in temporary lodging on Hill Air Force Base while we look for a permanent home. I'm getting anxious to be settled, but since we may be buying a home that could take awhile. I found a home I like--the house isn't large, but it has a big yard that lends itself nicely to my grandiose gardening visions. And it has a nice treehouse in the back yard, which lends itself to the children's grandiose adventure visions. It's a foreclosure, so needs a little work--mostly cosmetic, the paint and carpet aren't looking too good. If we get a good deal on it we can afford to replace those. We're attending church today in the local LDS ward, so we'll get a better feel for the neighborhood.
I'm super excited to have a new nephew, six days old today--we haven't been down to visit yet, but will get to see him soon. This is my sister's first baby, and we were so happy to hear everything went well with the birth.
So--there's my update, prayers for us to find a good home and get settled quickly would be welcome! Christmas is coming, and a reunion with almost all of my family, gathering from around the world. We feel very blessed, and wish the same for all of you.

How does a homeschooler change a light bulb?

2010-11-19T16:40:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure where this originated, but I've seen it a couple of places and got a laugh out of it--soooo true. We can make a unit study out of anything...

Q: How does a homeschooler change a light bulb?

A: First, mom checks out three books on electricity out of the library, then the kids make models of light bulbs, read a biography of Thomas Edison and do a skit based on his life.

Next, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with dipping their own candles.

Next, everyone takes a trip to the store where they compare types of bulbs as well as prices and figure out how much change they’ll get if they buy two bulbs for $1.99 and pay with a five dollar bill.

On the way home, a discussion develops over the history of money and also Abraham Lincoln, as his picture is on the five dollar bill.

Finally, after building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged from the woods, the light bulb is installed.

And there is light.

Music at our house

2010-11-19T07:05:00.000-08:00

I thought I should clarify my last post regarding all the musical instruments. Yes, we currently have a lot more instruments than we have musicians. Actually, the only one of my children who has taken music lessons out of the home is Lily, who has taken violin, piano, and cello lessons (although not all at the same time, I was trying to give her a feel for both string instruments so she could choose herself what she wants to study; I would like all my children to have some basic piano competency.) I tried to start Luke in violin lessons last fall, but he wasn't quite ready to stay still and pay attention. I play violin and viola, and especially enjoy playing in groups when the opportunity arises. Most of the instruments in my house are not in current use--I basically have one in each child's size, and one in each future size because I found instruments I liked at a good price. And yes, I have duplicates of a couple--because I found something better later! I'm working on finding new homes for the duplicate sizes, though I sometimes loan an instrument to a friend to help them get their child started--I think the whole world benefits when more children are exposed to music.
I have a hard time explaining why music is so important to me. I am far from being the most musically accomplished of my own family, and am definitely not professional musician caliber! I always loved music, but lacked the discipline to practice consistently. I still love music, and still lack discipline--I guess some things never change! I especially enjoy ensemble playing. From the time I was 7 or 8 my siblings and I played trio and quartet music together, especially at Christmastime. As more children joined in (I am third of ten children) the ensemble grew. At home we stuck to violin, viola, and cello, although in high school I enjoyed playing flute in the band (we had a really awful band, but it was fun anyway). In college I played in a couple of orchestras and for one semester in a small celtic ensemble. I have since found opportunities to play in community and church orchestras, and very much enjoy them.
So when I think of music for my own family, I imagine a whole family enjoying making music together. I suppose that is why all the various sizes of small instruments have been so tempting for me--somehow I feel that if I at least provide an instrument (yes, even for the baby...) I can make that vision a reality. If any of my children become serious musician that will have to be through their own drive and ambition--if that is their calling they will know it. What I want to do is make music a part of our lives, part of our family, something that we can share with each other and with those around us.

Moving and Music

2010-11-18T06:22:00.000-08:00

Well, everything is boxed up, the big truck is coming the morning to take it all away...my kids have been having fun climbing on all the boxes!
Yesterday when the packers were here I went through the house making an inventory of "high value" items (defined as anything worth more than $100 per pound). The inventory was mostly musical instruments...6 violins, 2 cellos, 1 guitar and 1 trombone. There's also a piano, but that goes on a different inventory. That, by the way, is in addition to the 3 violins and 1 viola that are going with us in the car, and 2 small violins I just mailed to my nephews. My poor husband, before we were married, pulled me aside one day and told me he wasn't sure he could afford to buy string instruments (my parents had just given me a new bow for Christmas and he was shocked to learn how much it cost!) With visions of a small family orchestra dancing in my head, I just can't seem to help acquiring instruments in various sizes when I find a good deal!

I'm looking forward to a Christmastime reunion wìth my family and lots of music!

Groceries

2010-11-08T19:24:00.000-08:00

Oh boy am I going to miss Trader Joe's. The adventuresome trader has apparently not set up any outposts in Utah yet--too far in the back country I guess.
The kids and I went grocery shopping today. Here are the things they begged me to buy:

papaya
pomegranate
persimmon
brussel sprouts
butternut squash
cheese puffs
gummi bears

Yes, my kids really do beg for brussel sprouts. We cooked them tonight with daikon and portobello mushroom soup. Yummy! I hadn't have daikon in a long time--I should buy it more often.

The only constant in life is change

2010-11-03T13:24:00.000-07:00

So, we really are leaving California.
I know, I haven't blogged in months. Blame it on the new baby. Or the 7 week business trip that took us to Alabama and back, putting several thousand miles on our van and sorely testing the patience of both parents and children (actually, the kids turned out to be incredibly good travelers--the long car trip was a lot less stressful than I expected.) Or the news that my husband has a new job assignment in a different state and all the complications that come with getting ready for a move.
Alternatively, you can just call me lazy.
We enjoyed our cross-country adventure. I even took a few pictures, I'll try to post some here soon. We drove through most of the southern border states--California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. We didn't do much site-seeing along the way, although we did make time to see the Alamo in San Antonio. We also visited lots of family, in Texas and in Alabama. I'm not sure about my count, but I think we managed at least brief visits with about 24 of my kids' 30+ cousins. We love cousins and look forward to getting better acquainted with some of them in the near future.
We had a wonderful visit with my husband's parents and other family members in the Houston area, and had the privilege of holding a baby blessing (a child's first ordinance in our church) for baby Mark with his grandfather and great-grandfather participating. Then we went on to Alabama, and the kids and I hung out at the hotel pool and enjoyed the Montgomery Zoo while Dad participated in a leadership course. I was thoroughly impressed by people's friendliness and hospitality in Alabama--truly worthy of emulation!
We found out during our first week in Montgomery that my husband had been selected for a 2 year career broadening assignment at Hill AFB in Utah, and they wanted him to report there in November. So we're moving--Thanksgiving week. We're excited--both Dan and I have family in Utah, and we've been looking for a long time now for a way out of California. Don't get me wrong, we've thoroughly enjoyed our time here--but the cost of housing makes a growing family really hard to sustain. We're ready to move out of two bedrooms! Utah is way more affordable, even if we do have to leave our perfect weather behind. Actually, I think my kids are looking forward to having some snow to play in--hopefully they still feel that way in March!
So life continues to be busy--we're packing up, trying to de-junk and get rid of whatever we can; moving is great motivation for letting go of stuff. We're sad to say goodbye to friends, but hope to stay in touch--and we're ready and excited for some new adventures!

Election results etc.

2010-11-03T07:44:00.000-07:00

Well, we went and voted last night. I did my part. Can't say I'm happy with the results posted for the Golden State this morning--I don't think a single one of my candidates won their race. I'm particularly unhappy about this state's choice of governor and lieutenant governor, although I would also have dearly loved to see someone new in our Senate and House positions.
Oh, and property management just raised our rent.

That's it, I'm leaving California!

Kid Quote

2010-09-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

Luke's version of pediatrician: pedinutritionist

I like it. The children were playing a hospital game today and I was enjoying listening in.

We're busy, I have lots to share but no time to do it in! The last couple of weeks have been full of adventures, and it seems we have many more ahead...

Irregular plurals...

2010-08-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

Esther was struggling to reconcile her experience of the irregular plural form of foot (feet) yesterday with her understanding of the rule for forming plurals (add an s); here is an approximation of the conversation:

Esther: Look at my feet!
Mom: Very nice feet...
Esther: I have two...foots.
Mom: You do have two feet.
Esther: No! You have feet, I have foots!

And apparently satisfied with her resolution, she went off to play.

Singing

2010-08-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

Luke is in the bathroom singing over and over this phrase: "You'll never get recycling again!" in a very operatic voice...I have no idea why!

Nothing-artificial playdough

2010-08-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to pass along a link to this great tutorial explaining how to use natural, home-made dyes to dye your own playdough. By the way, if you've never made your own playdough, it's really, really easy so don't be intimidated!

Family Mission Statement

2010-08-15T18:22:00.001-07:00

We've been working on this for awhile, here is a tentative final draft:

"We, the .......... Family, were established as an eternal family by the authority and power of our Heavenly Father. Our Father in Heaven has placed each of us in this family in order to help and support one another in fulfilling our divinely ordained purposes on this Earth. As children of God, we seek to live in accordance with His will and commandments, and to someday return to Him, together with every member of our eternal family.

We help one another in this endeavor by applying the principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities as a family. We follow our family compass in seeking to fill our minds with truth, fill our hearts with love, and fill our lives with service. As individuals and as a family we seek the Lord's guidance in our lives, and strive to keep the commandments of God and to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost in all that we do. We choose to use our time, talents, and resources for the best purposes, and to maintain a standard of excellence, goodness, and virtue in every area of our lives. We seek to strengthen and support one another in all righteous endeavors and to stand as lights and examples to those around us so that they too will desire to draw nearer to God. We know that, as we do these things, we will find peace and joy in this life even in the midst of trials, and that in time we will enjoy the blessings of Eternal Life as a family."

A Few of my Favorite People

2010-08-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

Mark--growing up fast!

Lily on a camel ride at the zoo

In the rainforest exhibit

Esther, Luke, Lily, Mark and Dad

Sharing the pool

2010-08-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

Lily is taking a swimming class this week--at the base pool. This morning, another class was taking place at the same time: a unit of Marines were training for combat operations in water. The picture's a bit blurry because it comes from a friend's cell phone, but here you see a swimming instructor with a child (not mine so I blurred the face) just a few feet from one of the Marines swimming in full combat gear, rifle at the ready...

The kids were having a hard time focusing on their swimming lessons, especially the boys...

In other news, Esther swallowed a marble today--a metal one from a magnetic construction set. She had to get an X-ray just to make sure it was indeed swallowed and not inhaled. Sure enough there was a bright white circle in her stomach...
I guess if you're going to swallow something other than food, a marble's not a bad choice--it's nice and round so it's unlikely to get stuck or cause any damage as it works it's way through the digestive tract!

Kid Quotes

2010-08-07T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today's quotes are brought to you by Lily, age 6, and Esther, age 2:

Lily, distressed to see mom cutting broccoli for a dinner dish:
"Mom, don't you know that adding broccoli to that unimproves the flavor?"

And my favorite, from this morning's family devotional--
Dad (reading about the baptism of Jesus): "The Holy Ghost descended in the form of a ___" (pauses for the children to respond)
Esther: "Octopus!"

Needless to say, it took us awhile to return to some semblance of reverence and continue the scripture reading...

Sumo Baby

2010-07-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

I think Mark is out to set a record for infant weight gain. At 5 weeks, he weighed 14 lb 9 oz; he's been gaining over a pound a week since he was born. I think he does a good sumo wrestler imitation...

Daddy Time

2010-07-16T09:22:00.000-07:00

Just for fun...

2010-07-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

I love this recent picture of Luke.

Environment matters

2010-07-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

A young friend spent the afternoon here recently, and I watched her playing with math manipulatives with my children, reading books, and eating fruit for snacks. When I have been in this child's home, I have noticed that she spends her time playing video games and snacking on chips, soda and ice cream. Why does she choose different activities and snacks at our house? Because the available choices are different. Video games and junk food snacks are not available in my home, but books, open-ended toys and manipulatives, and fruit are. My own children, in an environment where videos, electronic games, and junk food are available readily choose these things because they bring instant gratification. If we want our children to make healthier choices for their bodies and minds, we need to carefully consider what choices we are making available to them in their environments.

Adventures in mathland

2010-07-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

We're doing a mini-unit study this week focused on math. I made a giant number line on the sidewalk, and we played games with skip-counting and addition/subtraction. For the addition game I took 2 small wooden cube blocks and made them into dice, one with the typical number dots and the other with addition and subtraction signs (5 addition and 1 subtraction). Our number line ran from -9 to 40. The children took turns rolling the dice then moving forward or back as indicated. The game ended when everyone made it to 40.

For lunch we had pizza--a great chance to discuss fractions!

Creativity in Action

2010-07-06T12:35:00.000-07:00

I went looking for my broom, and discovered it in the children's room. Luke's comment: "We made that so we could slide down from the bunkbed."

Treasures!

2010-07-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

This is what I found in my linen cupboard today--treasures collected by Luke and Esther. It looks to me like they got something from every room in the house...

Quote of the Day

2010-07-03T15:39:00.001-07:00

"The ability to say "NO" to second things is the key to saying "YES" to first things." --Stephen Covey

Boys and Girls

2010-06-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

I remember telling my mother, shortly after Luke was born, that I didn't feel like I was connecting with him in the same way I had with Lily. Her response was "that's because he's a boy". I couldn't figure out how being a boy would make much difference--he was, after all, a newborn baby--my baby--and other than the obvious I didn't see many differences between the sexes at that point. I found myself thinking about the issue again the other day, as I realized that I sense that same difference in my relationship with Mark as compared to how I remember feeling with big sister Esther just a couple of years ago. Talking with my sister it occurred to me that part of what I am sensing really might lie in innate male/female differences, specifically differences in social interaction. Both Lily and Esther, even as tiny newborns, were very social--they would meet your eyes, mimic facial expressions, initiate and maintain social interactions from the very beginning. Mark isn't like that. He will meet my eyes, but I can't keep his attention, even by talking or making faces at him (he was a bit intrigued by my repeatedly sticking my tongue out at him...) When Mark is awake, his eyes and his head are always moving, scanning the room. He can track motion--I tried moving one hand slowly back and forth in front of his face, and he would follow it first with his eyes, then by turning his head. I remember reading somewhere (maybe in James Dobson's book on raising boys?) that boys' eyes are physically different from girls--they have more rod cells, which are particularly good at detecting motion. That might have something to do with little boys' interest in everything that moves--balls, cars, airplanes, etc. Girls have more cone cells, which are sensitive to color and texture...

Just some intriguing thoughts to keep me busy while I enjoy my baby :-)

Baby antics

2010-06-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

Mark

Lily as a Baby

OK, so newborns don't do much other than eat and sleep...but Mark has given me a few moments to remember.
About a week ago, I was holding Mark in my lap when he suddenly started screaming in obvious distress. It took me a moment to spot the source of the trouble--He had one hand closed tightly around a fistful of his own hair, and was yanking pretty hard on it. Of course he had no idea that he was causing his own distress! I had to pry his fingers loose. All that hair can be a real liability when you don't yet have control of your hands...
Yesterday Mark gave me a real reason to smile. I was holding him (I do that a lot!) while he slept, and was watching his eyes moving in his dream. He smiled--a real smile--then laughed! I remember Lily doing this--laughing in her sleep, long before she ever laughed while awake. I always thought she must be dreaming of heaven. Funny, Mark has reminded me from the beginning of Lily as a baby--and Lily did the hair-pulling trick too!

Mark's Birth Story

2010-06-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

For those who like to know the details...

I admit I had a hard time waiting to go into labor with this baby. I blame Esther for that--until she showed up 11 days early, I just expected my babies to come some time after their presumed due date. Mark went almost a week past his due date, the longest of any of my babies--and I had been holding my breath waiting to go into labor for two and a half weeks!

Labor was different this time around, too. With each of my other children, I had maybe 12-24 hours of very mild contractions before active labor started, they seemed to just gradually increase in intensity until I felt like I was "really" in labor. This time, I had irregular contractions starting Sunday evening, ranging from 15 to 30 minutes minutes apart--but they felt like real contractions. About 2:00 AM on Monday morning I decided to take a shower (since I wasn't sleeping) and discovered some bleeding--enough to make me concerned. We decided to go into the hospital and make sure everything was OK. A very kind neighbour came over to stay with the children. I felt silly walking into labor and delivery knowing I wasn't in active labor yet, but had a very kind nurse (Nicole) who, after verifying that baby was doing fine and the bleeding was nothing to be concerned about, sent me home with orders not to have the baby before 7:00 PM when she would be back on duty. I thought (or hoped!) baby would arrive before that...
Well, I spent the rest of the night and a good part of Monday trying to get some rest in between the contractions that kept coming about 20 minutes apart. I went for several walks, hoping to get things moving a bit faster--I felt like at the rate things were going I was going to be in labor for a week! Finally around 2:oo PM the contractions started getting closer together, and by about 3:30 I thought it was time to drop the kids off with friends and go to the hospital. I think we got to the hospital sometime around 4:00. Interestingly the hardest period of labor this time around was that half hour when we were trying to get the kids taken care of and get to the hospital--the contractions seemed harder and closer together, but maybe it was just that I couldn't focus on relaxing and dealing with them. It wasn't transition stage at all--actually, I never really experienced an intense transition with this labor. Once in the hospital I waited while they got their mandatory fetal monitor strip, then escaped to take a long shower. After the shower the nurse had me lie on my left side because the baby's heart rate was decelerating with each contraction--not only did the decels go away, but I went from about 6 cm to fully dilated within about half an hour and without any increase in discomfort--that surprised me, I had mostly been laboring in an upright position thinking that would speed things along.
That's when things got hard. My OB suggested I start pushing; I really didn't feel like pushing. I made a couple of half-hearted attempts, then waited out a few more contractions hoping the urge to push would materialize. It didn't. I tried pushing in different positions--I very much missed having a squatting bar available, as I had found one very helpful with my first two births. I found pushing much harder with this birth than with any of my others (and especially compared to Esther's water birth). The doctor assured me that the baby's head was descending just fine whenever I tried to push--but it hurt! A lot. I suppose to make up for the rest of labor being easier this time around! I tried every position I could think of. The doctor kept encouraging me to "hold my breath and count to ten"--not, generally, my favorite technique for getting a baby out but to be honest I think it's the only way I was going to get this baby out! I needed every bit of urging/encouragement I could get. I usually dislike having anyone push me to do something (my parents can attest to that characteristic from the time I was a toddler). This doctor was definitely pushing me, and my husband kept turning to me and saying "is that OK?"--he knows I don't like to be pushed. But I sensed at the time and still feel now that I had to be pushed if I was going to get that baby out.
And I did. Mark made it into the world with a slightly molded head (my other kids had not really had any noticeable molding). He was a nice purple color...didn't take his first breath for a few seconds, he was lying on my belly and the nurse was rubbing him with a towel. When he did breathe it was to start wailing and not stop--I guess the birth had not been a fun experience for him either! He pinked up very nicely, and I got to sit up and try to get him to nurse (he wasn't interested quite yet). Dad cut the umbilical cord, the doctor put a single stitch where I had a small laceration, and we all got to celebrate. There wasn't any big rush to take the baby off to examine and weigh--I felt like I had as much time as I wanted to just get to know him. When they did weigh him I was honestly shocked to see the numbers on the scale--9 lb 6.7 oz! Luke, my next-biggest baby, had been 8 lb 7 oz. Esther had weighed in at only 7 lb 1 oz. I guess I have the answer to why pushing was so much harder this time around--there was just more baby to push out! Actually, I wasn't pushing for that long--it was probably about 40 minutes between when the doctor first suggested I try pushing until the baby was born, but I wasn't really trying very hard until the last 15-20 minutes. Pushing was just so much harder/more painful than with the other babies... (note to self: put in a special request for a smaller baby next time!)

So there's the story :-) I can't complain--no complications, and an incredibly handsome little boy to join our family! I liked this hospital--it is smaller than those I have been in before, I was able to hold the baby for most of the routine evaluations, I got to give him his first bath (that is, I did my best to wash out all the gunk that was in his hair--the rest of him didn't seem to need washing)--and there were fewer post-partum interruptions, especially at night (I've never figure out how they expect a mother to rest and recover when someone is coming in every twenty minutes to take her temperature and blood pressure.) Not that I rested anyway--I seem to go into a sort of hyper-alert state for the first few days after having a baby. I can't relax, I especially can't sleep...I notice every noise, movement, etc. I figure it must be nature's way of making sure I'm aware of the new baby, but it gets rather frustrating as the sleep deprivation adds up! It's not the baby's fault, and not the hospital's fault--it's internal and doesn't go away until about 4 days after the birth.

So I was happy with the birth. Different from the others--I guess every birth is different. Oh yeah, and Nicole (my nurse from Sunday night) made it back in time to see the baby born :-)

The first two weeks

2010-06-28T08:21:00.000-07:00

More baby pics

2010-06-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

It's a Boy!

2010-06-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

Born June 14th at 7:41 PM
9.6 lbs (!!!)
20 inches
100% loved

I don't share real names online, but he'll be going by Mark on the blog.

Nesting!

2010-06-03T08:20:00.001-07:00

I got a burst of energy last week (after a long month of feeling constantly tired). I put it to good use--I cleaned the carpets in the living room and the children's bedroom, cleaned out the fridge, and did a lot of organizing (well, that's still in progress...especially the bookshelves). I had one minor catastrophe in the process: I was cleaning off the top of my fridge and grabbed the fire extinguisher I keep up there. Apparently, the pin was somehow lost (I suspect a certain young monkey who will go un-named...) and when I grabbed the extinguisher I set it off--all over me and all over the kitchen. That was frustrating, just when I was feeling so proud of myself for getting the fridge cleaned! It did motivate me to give the kitchen an extra-good cleaning though...
Most of my nesting energy seems to have evaporated this week, I'm hoping to pull enough together today to finish with my book organizing. Lily will help--she came to me a few days ago with a proposition to earn money for something she wants to buy: she will do extra chore assignments for me at the price of 25 cents for ten minutes of work. I sometimes have to remind her that she needs to be working the full 10 minutes, not talking (she has trouble doing both at once), but over all it has been a good arrangement and so far and she has earned $2.75.

I found my camera :-)

2010-06-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at the park...

Homework: or, reason 312 I'm glad my kids are not in school

2010-06-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

A 4th grade neighbor girl came by the other day to ask if I could help her with some homework. After looking through the packet (mostly worksheets stapled together), I could see why she was confused. The assignments were badly written, with unclear directions and no clear objectives--and in some cases no good answer available. For example, one page asked students to read pairs of words and mark whether they were antonyms or synonyms. Some of the pairs included were credit/debt; tax/payment; settler/immigrant; colony/community. To my mind, NONE of those pairs are clearly synonyms or antonyms. The words may be related, and even in some cases interchangeable, but the correlation between, say, settler and immigrant, or colony and community, really does not match any definition of synonym I'm familiar with (and they obviously are not antonyms). As for credit and debt, or tax and payment...I won't even get started!
Another friend showed me her son's kindergarten homework packet, and I was even less impressed. His assignments ranged from memorizing spelling words for a test (spelling tests in kindergarten?!) to coloring all the squares on a page red and all the circles yellow. The spelling words, by the way, included such whoppers as "without" and "through"--words I might expect to see on, say, a third-grade level. Which of course made the "color the shapes" page seem even more ridiculous; if a child at the end of kindergarten doesn't yet know the difference between a circle and a square, I don't think a worksheet is the way to teach it. And for the vast majority of children who have no trouble recognizing such shapes, the page was pure busywork and a waste of good time.
Honestly, I don't see the point of sending this kind of work home with children--they've already spent hours doing similar things in the classroom, let them come home and spend time with their families or riding their bikes. Please give them a chance to be kids!

How to eat an avocado...

2010-05-25T14:14:00.001-07:00

Esther wanted to eat an avocado and mom was occupied, so she decided to help herself. She came up with a unique method: she stuck a screw-driver into the avocado to make a hole, then squeezed to get squishy avocado flesh out to eat. Ah, the ingenuity of two-year-olds...

The End of the Road

2010-05-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

This baby will be coming soon! That thought is on my mind constantly lately--my due date is about two weeks out, which means...well, all it really means is that I'll probably be having a baby sometime in the next four weeks or so. Sometimes I really wish the timing were not so uncertain! People keep asking me if I'm "ready"--I'm not sure what that is supposed to mean. What is being ready for a baby? I've got plenty of things in mind I'd like to do before the baby comes, primarily getting my house in better order. Some will get done, doubtless many will not. In the end it won't matter--we'll have a new baby to love a cherish and brighten our lives. How could I not be ready for that?
Of course, I've got to get through labor first...

A Memory...

2010-05-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed that American money has a distinctive smell? I don't often carry cash, but I want to try a cash budget for a change (as a way of actually making myself stick to a budget!), so Saturday I went to the bank and brought home a couple of week's worth of expenses in cash. As I pulled those paper bills out of my purse this afternoon, I caught of whiff of a scent that immediately took me back to corn-selling season when I was a child. Our house sat at the edge of about 25 acres of fields belonging to my grandfather, and a couple of those fields were always planted with sweet corn which we would sell from the back of the pickup-truck or a tractor trailer parked by the road in front of the house. I remember "helping" sell from the time I was very small, but the summer I was 8 was the first time I was allowed to take responsibility myself for minding the sales. We used to keep coins from sales (and for change) in a muffin tin; cash and checks were taken inside regularly and kept in a tupperware type container on a shelf of the bookcase just inside the door. Those are the images that come to my mind when I catch the scent of a dollar bill. Corn-season must have been hectic from the adults' perspective, but the memories that come back to my mind are of the excitement and pleasure of being a contributing part of a family enterprise.

Lily-isms

2010-05-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

Lily has demonstrated her ability to play multiple roles recently, here are a few examples from yesterday...

My new dietician:
Yesterday I took the children to the library booksale and let them each pick out a couple of books. Lily chose a book on pregnancy and childbirth, which she carefully perused in the car on the way home. This morning, she informed me that we needed to make hard-boiled eggs for breakfast; apparently the "pregnancy diet" section of the book recommends eating a hard-boiled egg every day.

The Tooth-Fairy's Secretary:
Lily lost a tooth yesterday--her 8th, I believe; she seems to be on the fast-track in tooth development! Last night as we were all getting ready for bed she overheard me saying I hoped sleep well. She quickly reminded me that I couldn't sleep ALL night because the tooth fairy had to remember to come during the night!

Nurse:
Luke burned his toes--not a serious burn, but he was rather noisy about it. Believe it or not, the culprit was hot pizza; I was cutting the pizza, and apparently a piece touched his toes. No, I was not cutting the pizza on the floor--his toes were on the table, and I had not noticed them there! I admit to being less than sympathetic about the injury, but Lily jumped in to rescue her brother: she brought him a bowl of ice-water for his foot, then made him up a nice bed so he could recover!

Gratitude goes a long way...

2010-05-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

Moment of honesty: I'm tired. I can't remember the last time I got a really decent night's sleep. It seems there's always something to interfere--a late night, sick kids, baby kicking, or just no comfortable position for sleep with a watermelon for a belly. Whatever energy I start the morning with is gone by noon, and I feel like I am just dragging through the rest of the day. But one little incident this evening showed me how far a little bit of appreciation can go to lighten our load and brighten the day! Esther was sitting on my lap at dinner time so I could help her eat; in between two bites of spaghetti she turned her sauce-covered face to me and said "Thank you mom, for giving me food."
Suddenly I felt a lot happier and not nearly so tired.

Mormon Monday: Tell Me the Stories of Jesus

2010-05-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

Our church holds a General Conference every 6 months, a time when thousands gather at church headquarters in Salt Lake City and millions watch and listen in via radio, satellite, and internet broadcasts around the world to hear messages of inspiration and instruction from our church leaders. The messages are always inspiring and often convicting, and are a spiritual highlight of the year for me. Unfortunately I have not yet discovered a way to get three small children to sit and listen quietly through a combined 8 hours of conference sessions over a two-day period! We try to catch as much of conference as we can, but I'm sure I wasn't able to really listen to more than 1/4 of the talks last month. Fortunately, they are all available online--you can find them here.

One morning last week I was having a hard time motivating myself to clean the kitchen (that seems to take an enormous amount of motivational energy--I'm sure it deserves its own Law of Physics!) I decided to jumpstart myself by listening to conference talks on my MP3 player, and randomly selected this talk by Neil L. Andersen. His words struck me powerfully, and I have been thinking about them ever since. Here is a part of his talk:

"We hold in our arms the rising generation. They come to this earth with important responsibilities and great spiritual capacities. We cannot be casual in how we prepare them. Our challenge as parents and teachers is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of their premortal faith.

This afternoon I wish to emphasize the plea of a child from a Primary song:

Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear,
Things I would ask him to tell me if he were here.⁶

In our world today, each child, each young man and young woman needs his or her own conversion to the truth. Each needs his or her own light, his or her own “steadfast and immovable”⁷ faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, independent of parents, youth leaders, and supportive friends.

The stories of Jesus can be like a rushing wind across the embers of faith in the hearts of our children. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”⁸ The stories of Jesus shared over and over bring faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strength to the foundation of testimony. Can you think of a more valuable gift for our children?"

Because I have chosen to homeschool my children, I spend a lot of time and energy researching and pondering educational goals, methods, and curricula. I wonder if I am giving sufficient thought to my children's spiritual education? I am sure that question is one that every parent could ask themself. Do we think more about whether our children are learning to read than we do about whether they are learning to love the scriptures? Are we more concerned about their mastery of mathematical facts and operations than about their mastery of right and wrong choices? Do we get more excited about a first soccer goal than about a first independent prayer? Do we spend more time and energy helping them prepare for their first piano recital than for their baptism? Are we encouraging their expanding knowledge of the workings of the world through science but neglecting to guide their understanding of the Creator of the Universe and their own place and purpose in it?

Once again, I find myself needing to realign my expenditure of time and effort in regards to my family with my true values and priorities.

"Mom, I came to tell you..."

2010-04-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

Lily just came bouncing into the room: "Mom, I came to tell you!"
"What?"
"I figured out seven plus seven is fourteen!"
"That's right! Good figuring."
"Seven plus two is nine, seven plus three is ten, and so on..."
And she bounced back out to finish her lunch.

I love watching the spontaneous learning that happens when kids are left to their own devices to explore and ponder the world.

Passionate Learning

2010-04-08T12:26:00.000-07:00

This morning I was thinking about teachers and learners, and whether learning should ever feel like drudgery. I'm convinced that, while hard work is usually a part of the learning process, drudgery does not need to be. In fact, anytime a learning task becomes drudgery, very little true learning will take place.
So how do we learn--and how should be teach? I think the answer to both questions is the same: great teaching and true learning only occur where there is interest, even passionate interest, in a subject. The learning process is further catalyzed when the relationship between teacher and learner is one of real interest--the kind of interest in another person that can come only from real love for that person.
When a student is already passionate about a topic, the most that may be needed from a teacher or mentor is a little guidance along the way. Learning takes place because the student feels an appetite for knowledge and is ready to actively pursue learning. But what if the appetite is not there? That is where the role of a passionate teacher or mentor becomes critical. I remember a particular college professor who inspired a great appetite for learning in his students. His area of expertise was microbiology, and he was truly passionate about the subject. The minute he walked into the lecture hall students would sit up and lean forward in their chairs, energized by his energy and interested by his interest. His classes were some of the hardest I took in college, but they were also some of the best. By contrast, I remember signing up several semesters in a row for a calculus class. I would walk into class the first day, and there at the board would be a professor who seemed tired and bored; you felt that he had taught this class hundreds of times in the past and found nothing of interest in the subject. Every semester, I dropped that class after the first session--all I could see ahead was months of drudgery. In both the microbiology and the calculus classes, I arrived the first day with a moderate interest in the subject matter--in one case, that interest was fueled by the spark from a passionate teacher; in the other, it was virtually extinguished.
As teachers, we sometimes find ourselves faced with the problem of teaching something about which we are not passionate. What can we do? I don't think that trying to pretend a passion for a subject that we don't actually feel is effective--students will be able to discern that difference. I do think it is possible to ignite passion in ourselves. Every subject has fascinating aspects, but we may need to dig a little deeper or try a different approach before we find our own inspiration. If that fails, maybe we can find someone to teach who is passionate about the subject--or we can let that subject drop for a time a go where our own and our students' interests lead us. Ultimately, such an approach will result in much greater and deeper learning that hundreds of hours of slogging through something that feels like drudgery.

Dissections

2010-04-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

I really like biology, and decided to try some dissections with the kids (I thought if I introduced them now they might not shy away from them later). Lily and Luke were fascinated to discover the inner workings of a number of specimens, including a sea star and a crayfish.

Home-Made Learning Games: King's Ransom

2010-04-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

I was in a creative mood the other day and drew up this game to help Lily learn her addition facts for 9's; it could easily be modified for any math facts. If you read my post about visiting Durnstein Castle in Austria, you can guess where the inspiration came from--King Richard the Lion-Hearted of England was held captive there until the English found out where he was and eventually ransomed him. The goal of this game was to ransom the king held captive in the castle.
I wrote the addition problems for 9's around the edges of the board (ours happened to be shield-shaped, left over from another project, but any poster board would work well). I chose an amount for the ransom, in this case 50 cents (I had just picked up a roll of nickels at the bank and thought I would throw in some money practice by using those to collect the ransom). I made up cards with the numbers 9-18, and every player started with 5. The game is played by rolling a die and moving your playing piece to the appropriate problem square. If you have a number card with the answer to that question, you get to trade it in for a nickel and roll again. If you don't have the right answer card, you draw a card from the draw pile; if that card matches you can play it and go on, if not your turn ends. My children enjoyed the game but were getting anxious to move on to something else before anyone had acquired the requisite 10 nickels to ransom the king, so Lily and Luke pooled their funds and freed the king that way. I think next time we play I might spice things up a bit by throwing in random squares requiring the player who lands on them to do something other than answering a math problem--say, twenty jumping jacks (anything active is good!) in order to earn their coin. And maybe each square could earn a different coin--that way they would get more money practice! The ransom amount too could vary...

Durnstein Castle Hike post # 3

2010-03-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

In the dungeon--they say Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned in this castle. Wonder if they kept him in a dungeon?

Grandma can out-hike all of us!

Time to relax after the hike down. Grandpa treated the kids to icecream--they later told me that was the best part of the adventure!

Durnstein Castle Hike post # 2

2010-03-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

More Vineyards

View from the guard tower

In the tower

Luke and Grandpa

The arch in the wall

Into the castle

View from the castle

We made it!

Durnstein Castle hike post #1

2010-03-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

Headed up through Durstein village

Esther gets a ride on Grandpa's shoulders

houses growing out of the rocks

Lily contemplating the Danube river

View of the village

part of the old fortification walls

Vineyards!

Luke forging his own path

Vienna Woods

2010-03-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

The woods start a block from my parents' home; they were my favorite place to be when we lived in Vienna before. We enjoyed being there in the early spring this year.

Esther helping build a fort.

Inside the fort

Discovering moss

Luke playing in the leaves

Lily gathering wild garlic (ransom); it was delicious in my mom's salsa.

Fun with stumps!

We're Home!

2010-03-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry I dropped off the face of the earth for a couple of weeks...well, not really off the face of the earth, but we did leave North America. We spent a delightful two weeks visiting my parents in Austria. To be strictly accurate, the second week was delightful--the first week was mostly a blur of jet lag accompanied by a cold that just wouldn't go away. Vienna was cold that first week as well--it seems we got at least some snowfall every day for the first several days, although it didn't stick for long. The second week was much more spring-like, and we had a wonderful time visiting the city, the Vienna Woods, and on Saturday the ruins of an old castle. Most of all, we enjoyed time with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle S. and Aunt K.
Vienna was home to my family through my late teen years. My parents moved back two summers ago, and I have been planning a visit ever since--but until we bought the tickets 10 days before our departure we didn't know when we were going--this spring, or in the fall, or next year... I'd been thinking a lot about the trip, and dreading the difficulties of overseas travel with small children. In the end, I decided rather precipitously that I would much rather make that trip now with 3 children than later with 4! We were hoping to go nearer the beginning of April, but found that ticket prices went up steeply about that time (Spring Break, I suppose) so we bought tickets, packed our bags, and made the trip in March. It was wonderful being with family and getting re-acquainted with Austria. I especially enjoyed hiking in the Vienna Woods with my family and taking them to see my high school and meet some of my old teachers. I'll try to get some pictures up soon--we've been home for almost a week but are just now getting over jet-lag on this end of the trip. Life is starting to feel normal again!

Lily's penchant for literary speech

2010-03-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

Lily was unhappy with me for not dishing up lunch fast enough. This is how she expressed herself:

"It is highly uncomfortable to know that food is available just then, and is cooked in a pan, and that our mother doesn't intend to give us lunch"

New LDS Homeschooling Blog

2010-03-02T13:32:00.001-08:00

This is a neat blog for and by LDS homeschoolers that was just launched yesterday, Latter-Day Homeschooling. The blog description states that it was "created as a gathering place for LDS homeschoolers to share their homeschooling experiences, offer tips, resources, ideas and encouragement to each other."
Sounds good to me! I get most of my inspiration and encouragement from homeschooling groups with various Christian and secular emphases, but sometimes it is nice to learn from others who share my specific religious beliefs.

Girls, Boys, and Construction Toys

2010-02-24T09:02:00.000-08:00

My children received Duplo construction blocks from their aunt for Christmas. In the past two months, the blocks have received countless hours of use. Luke is especially fond of building airplanes, boats, tractors, etc., and can spend hours happily occupied this way. Lily plays with the blocks less, but it wasn't until this morning that I really paid attention to how she uses them when she does. She was happily playing this morning, and I listened in to an intricate game in which different blocks (not people figures, just blocks) were assigned characters: she was planning a wedding, and had a bride, a groom, and all their friends!

My baby sister and her violin

2010-02-16T10:07:00.000-08:00

My little sister has become quite the accomplished violinist. I watched this video of her with 2 year old Esther on my lap; every time the violin stopped playing Esther would clap her hands and cheer "hurray!" and then say "Again! Again!" I can't wait for a chance to hear her in person.

Our Family Compass

2010-02-16T08:07:00.000-08:00

Fill your mind with truth

Fill your heart with love

Fill your life with service

My husband and I chose this quote from Thomas S. Monson as our family motto before we were married. Last week, I created a family crest to go with it (please note that I claim no great artistic talent!). The water springing up near the roots of the tree represents Truth, the trunk of the tree is Love, and the fruit is Service.

Lily's Twin

2010-02-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

Lily made this paper doll today to be her "twin sister".

When a Monkey wants to read...

2010-02-15T20:23:00.000-08:00

Where does he go? I spotted Luke up in the top of the closet with a book and couldn't resist taking a picture!

Busy day

2010-02-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

I think I wore Lily out yesterday. It's two hours past her normal wake-up time, and she's still asleep. We did have a full and very active day yesterday: I took the children to the Botanic Garden, and they ran, explored, and climbed trees for a good two hours. Later Lily had her Irish Dance class, which was another of hour of pretty vigorous physical activity. In the evening she wanted to come with me when I went to the gym, and spent another 40 minutes or so running, jump roping, chasing a hula hoop, practicing her dance steps, etc. No wonder she's tired!

Grandpa magic

2010-02-07T13:54:00.000-08:00

My dad was here for a short visit last week; we all had a wonderful time! Esther, who was only 6 months old last time we saw Grandpa, climbed right up on his lap the minute we got home from the airport. I think I took this picture one day when she was traumatized from slipping on a wet floor after her bath; I couldn't get her to calm down, but Grandpa did.
It's too bad he lives half way around the world from us... I think it's our turn to visit next!

Natural Weed Killer

2010-02-07T13:49:00.000-08:00

There are patches of clover near our home that attract honeybees. I wouldn't mind either the clover or the bees, except that each of my children has been stung mulitple times. So I'm attacking the clover. Last summer whenever I was outside I would work on manually pulling the clover out of the lawn. I decided to try a different approach this year: vinegar. This picture shows my test patch about 24 hour after application--you can see the clover has turned white. Vinegar also kills grass, so you don't want to use it indiscriminately; waiting a week after application and then reseeding the areas with grass would probably work (and help the clover from coming back). I know there are broad-leaf herbicides that work well, but I prefer to avoid chemicals wherever I can. Regular kitchen vinegar I know won't hurt my kids. Just put some in a spray bottle, spray the weed you want to get rid of (it doesn't take a lot), and voila! Good for patios etc., but unless you want acidic soil it might not be a good idea for the garden!

Salt Water Taffy

2010-01-29T11:36:00.000-08:00

We made salt water taffy this morning. I found lots of recipes online, I liked this site best, not because the recipe was different from others but because it explained the why behind the different steps and ingredients. It looks like a great site for some more exploring as well.

The kids helped me with the taffy; my 1 cup measuring scoop was dirty (actually, it's currently in use as a laundry detergent scoop...) so we used the 1/2 cup scoop--Lily had no trouble figuring out that 2 cups of sugar would take 4 1/2 cup scoops. Cooking is great for practicing all kinds of math--lots of fractions, multiplication, division, telling time ("this says cook for 20 minutes and it's 9:45 right now, when will it be done?"), conversions between measuring systems, weights and mass, almost any basic math you want to incorporate.

I thought the kids would enjoy pulling the taffy, but only Esther tried it--the older two didn't want to get their hands buttery/sticky--that apparently was mom's job! I enjoyed watching the taffy turn from a transparent honey color to a creamy white as the air bubbles were incorporated through pulling.

Now I've got to decide what to do with the taffy. There's way more than I want my family eating, I guess we'd better distribute some to neighbours!

Morning Devotionals

2010-01-24T15:17:00.000-08:00

This week I have been reminded once again that our day goes much more smoothly when we start it off with a morning devotional. I know this is true for my personal devotions--if I spend some time studying my scriptures in the morning, the rest of the day just seems to flow better. I have discovered the same is true for the children.
Last year, I established the habit of having a morning devotional time together either during or immediately after breakfast. I can't say we did it every day, but often enough that the children have come to expect it. I notice now that on days when devotional gets neglected or put off things fall apart pretty quickly--and if I sit down and hold a devotional time with the children the spirit in our home immediately becomes calmer and we are all able to focus better. I think I've learned the lesson--I just have to remember to apply it!

Home Management Binder--First Incarnation

2010-01-24T05:06:00.000-08:00

I'm sure there will be lots of tweaking and modifying, but I think I've put together a tool that will be useful for me. Most of the forms and planner items come from Donna Young's website (tons of free printables). Here is what is in my binder at this point (italicized items I plan to add but haven't put in yet):

Schedule and Calendar Section
Master Schedule
Monthly Calendar Pages

Devotional Section:
This year's Sunday School reading schedule (Old Testament)
Book of Mormon 365 day Reading Chart
Homeschool Section:
School Year calendars for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011
Attendance Record (A legal requirement in my state--yes, my children were present every day)
Subject goal planning sheets
Daily task checklists for each of the children
Monthly reports from Simply Charlotte Mason's Online Planner. (This is my record of what we have done)
Copy of Private School affidavit filed with state
Copy of my teaching qualifications (another state requirement)
Copies of children's immunization records (also state requirement, of course I have their record anyway, but it wouldn't hurt to have an easily accessible copy)
HSLDA membership information
Schedules for Art Study, Music Study, and booklists from various sources.

Meal Planning Section:

Menu and shopping planning pages
Favorite Recipe section

Phoenician writing

2010-01-15T17:56:00.000-08:00

We met with some friends for a small history co-op yesterday; we were learning about the Phoenicians and practiced writing on clay with the Phoenician alphabet, precursor to the Greek alphabet.

GingerHenge

2010-01-15T17:24:00.000-08:00

My family has a tradition of making and decorating gingerbread houses at Christmastime, and this year my brother B. decided to put his own twist on the tradition. I wasn't there, but I was quite impressed by his creation. I have fond memories of visiting Stonehenge as a teenager.

Guess who said...

2010-01-14T20:26:00.001-08:00

"You know, I'm warning you, as you grow older your memory grows less. I still have a very good memory, but it's a little bit bad."

Who in my household said this today?

"I stay here"

2010-01-14T07:16:00.000-08:00

I took the kids with me to my OB appointment yesterday, at a new office that happens to be in the same building as their pediatrician's office. Esther recognized where we were the minute we pulled into the parking lot, and when I tried to unbuckle her and get her out of the carseat, she gripped the sides with her hands and said in a very determined voice: "I stay here". Guess she remembers all those shots at the doctor's office!
I did convince her eventually that we were going to see Mommy's doctor not hers, and she reluctantly came with me.

Compassion

2010-01-13T16:45:00.001-08:00

Luke is like me--he does his best thinking when his hands or body are busy. Honestly, I can't think at all if I am not moving or at least doodling!

Just now Luke was in my bedroom, cheerfully dismantling a small cardboard box with his hands and a pair of scissors (no, I don't know why...) and talking to himself under his breath. Suddenly he turned to me:

Luke: Mom, do you know what compassion means?

Mom: What?

Luke: It's when you see someone who needs help and you want to help.

And he went back to working on the cardboard box, whispering to himself...

A Successful Homeschool Day

2010-01-12T17:10:00.000-08:00

We went on our first nature walk today, and my kids were actually enthusiastic about it. Lily made a nice drawing of a flower, and while Luke didn't draw he did enjoy exploring. A couple of neighbour kids came with us, which was fun because they were enthusiastic too--there's one 8 year old girl who keeps telling me how she begs her mom to homeschool her.
At home, we did some math, spent some time learning letters in the Greek alphabet, did chores and made gingerbread cookies. I'm feeling quite content.

Enjoying a Six year old

2010-01-08T15:04:00.000-08:00

Since I'm in story sharing mode, here's a recent Lily story. A 9 year old neighbour asked to borrow her scooter, and took it to play on the quad. A bit later, Lily came running to me saying this girl's 5 year old sister really wanted to ride the scooter and I needed to come out "because it says children under 7 can only ride if an adult is supervising". Intrigued, I checked the scooter and found a very small label saying that young children should only ride with supervision. You've gotta follow the rules with Lily around...

Enjoying a Two year old

2010-01-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

This post is purely for my own enjoyment, and so I don't forget. A few Esther quotes from today:

This morning, as she tried (against my resistance) to wriggle her way into nursing position: "I want drink milk" Mom: "Would you like some milk in a cup?" E: "Nope, milk in mom!"

Just now, coming into the room demonstrating REALLY BIG with her arms: "I Great Big Toddler!" then: "I have claws, scratch!" demonstrating on mom.

Handyman Day

2010-01-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

I've taken care of two projects already this morning and am feeling quite pleased with myself. The first was not really fixing something--more unfixing it. I'm tired of the neighbourhood kids ringing my doorbell all day, so I disabled it; I opened up the casing and blocked the plunger with a toy ( a duplo, if you must know). No more ding-dongs! I did put a note by the doorbell stating that it doesn't work, so please knock.
The second project occurred to me as I was doing laundry. My washer and dryer stand next to each other with the dryer on the left, the trouble is that the dryer door hinged on the right--meaning I had to transfer clothes around the open door. I didn't realize until today that the door is reversible; all it took was changing a few screws and hinges around, and now my door is opens to the left. Hurray for easy laundry transfers!

More on the Master Schedule and a Penny Incentive Program

2010-01-02T18:51:00.000-08:00

We've started implementing our Master Schedule (minus the schoolwork). So far it is going well. We've actually been sitting down to meals together, and spending a few minutes cleaning not just the kitchen but a designated area of the house after meals. I have an incentive program tied to this, and I thought I would explain how it works.

Basically, my children are earning pennies for each successfully completed "task" throughout the day. What earns a penny is up to Mom and Dad, although the children are free to propose "penny projects" when they are motivated to earn more. The idea is to have an immediate incentive for the things we want the children to do. For example, if they are dressed and ready for breakfast on time, they earn a penny. Another penny for appropriate participation during devotional (this means actually singing the songs and reciting the memory scriptures). After-meal chores earn more pennies--this has evolved to one penny for each area in which they complete their assigned chores. The kitchen is a designated area for every meal, the others rotate according to the schedule--bedrooms after breakfast, Living Room after lunch, bathrooms after dinner. I will assign a child something in each area. Today after breakfast, Luke helped clear the table, put away clean silverware from the dishwasher, and picked up toys in the living room. He gets one penny for the kitchen chores and one for the living room chores. Once we start school next week, the children will earn a penny for every workbox task completed. Getting ready for bed and brushing teeth also earn pennies.
All the pennies for a week go into a cup labeled with each child's name. At the end of the week, the pennies are counted. For every ten pennies earned, 1 is set aside for tithing, 1 for a family missionary fund, 1 for a family charity fund, and 2 for the child's savings account. The other 5 go into each child's personal spending account (well, jar...); of course pennies can and hopefully will be traded for larger monetary denominations to put in their jars. My hope is to keep the children motivated, and give out pennies freely enough, that they end up with about $1 dollar for their spending accounts each week. That would mean earning 200 pennies during the week. They can probably earn more if they try--that will be up to them. We haven't tried any kind monetary allowance or incentive program with the children before, so I'm interested to see how it works.
The flip side of earning pennies is of course taking away pennies. Pennies can be lost if a child is disobedient. For now, the rule is that any infraction that merits a time out also merits the loss of a penny. I haven't had to take any pennies away in the last two days, the threat has been enough to keep behavior under control. Children do not loose pennies if they are acting up because of overtiredness/overstimulation. It is intentional, knowing disobedience I am trying to curtail.
My plan for the family charity account is to let whatever money the children contribute accumulate until December; we will then contribute a matching amount (or more) and let the children decide how to use it.

So far, I like the plan. We'll see how it plays out in practice!

Master Schedule, January 2010

2009-12-31T18:21:00.000-08:00

Here is a Master Schedule I made for my Home Management Binder, we'll see how it goes. Obviously some days will vary depending on planned activities, and of course tweaking is expected.

Early morning
Get up, dressed
Personal Devotional Time
Fix breakfast
Children up, dressed
Breakfast and Morning Devotional
Morning chores (kitchen, bedrooms)

Late Morning
1^st Workbox rotation
Break/outdoor time
2^nd Workbox rotation
Break, Lunch

Early Afternoon
Afternoon Chores (Kitchen, Living Room)
Nature Study/Art/Project time (hands-on)
Quiet Time/Nap Time (Start short, work up to 30-45 minutes)

Late Afternoon
Break/Outdoor Time/Playdate
Music Review Practice (Concert Time--regular practice is part of the workbox rotation)
Dinner Preparation (children help)

Evening
Family Dinner and Scripture Reading
Evening Chores (Kitchen, Bathrooms)
Family Time—reading, games, walk, etc

Bedtime
Bedtime prep begins between 7:00 and 7:30, when children are in pyjamas, teeth brushed, prayers said Mom/Dad will read stories until 8:00
8:00-8:30 children may listen to recorded music or stories
Parents bedtime routine—quick sweep of house, journal writing, discuss day, plan
Bedtime

Decade in Review

2009-12-31T12:55:00.000-08:00

It didn't occur to me that we are at the end of a decade until I read Decade in Review posts on other blogs. The first decade of the 21st century has been an eventful one for me, and certainly deserves a review.

I will start with where I celebrated New Year's day for each year of this decade:

2000: Fukuoka, Japan
2001: Managua, Nicaragua
2002: Utah
2003: Kiev, Ukraine
2004: Texas
2005: Utah
2006: Stockholm, Sweden
2007: Texas
2008: California
2009: California

Now for what I did in between:

Completed a term of missionary service for my church.
Got Married.
Graduated from college with a BA in Anthropology.
Was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force and moved to Texas.
Had a baby.
Left the Air Force to be a full-time mother.
Moved to California.
Had two more babies.
Started homeschooling.
Experienced countless challenges and times of trial and and was blessed with immeasurable growth and joy.

I look forward to the next decade.

New Years Resolutions

2009-12-31T11:41:00.000-08:00

1- Gain some weight. Based on where I am right now, adding about 25 lbs by June would probably be good. Of course, loosing said 25 lbs between June and December would also be good, but realistically it tends to take me at least a year to get back to more or less pre-pregnancy weight (the exception was the year I tandem nursed--I think I lost all my pregnancy weight in about 3 months, and did it while eating a good 4000 Calories per day...)

2- Enjoy my children.

3- Love my husband.

4- Keep a more orderly home. This is the one that is going to take the most work. If you've ever lived with me you'll understand...

A Happy New Year to everyone! May the challenges and blessings of 2010 bring true growth and joy to you and yours.

Heartbeat!

2009-12-30T15:37:00.000-08:00

You know how exciting it is when you go in for a prenatal appointment and get to hear that racing heartbeat that says your baby really is alive and well inside? I hate waiting between appointments, so I got myself a fetal stethoscope, also called a fetoscope, to listen at home. I heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time today using the fetoscope--I must have caught the baby just right, it's hard to get a heartbeat consistently with a fetoscope until the third trimester, and I'm a long way from that.
Hi baby! glad to know you're happy and healthy in there!

Birth Choices Part 2

2009-12-30T07:27:00.000-08:00

I blogged a few weeks ago about my need to research and carefully review my birth choices with each pregnancy. At the time, I had not yet settled on a birth setting and provider for my current pregnancy that I felt comfortable with. I interviewed several homebirth midwives and found one I liked, a CNM with lots of years of experience and a great reputation among mothers. Unfortunately, her usual back-up doctors practice at a hospital at the far north end of her delivery range, and I am at the far south end--further than I was comfortable going in an emergency. We live less than 3 miles from a hospital, but none of the OB's there are willing to provide backup for home birth midwives. I went back to my OB from my last two pregnancies, who I like very much. She was willing to be my back up if I chose a home delivery and agreed with me that I was probably as low risk for complications as anyone, but the hospitals she delivers at are still about 45 minutes away (which is part of why I didn't want to go back to her for this pregnancy-that, and the fact that she missed the births of both my last children).

I kept praying to know what birth situation would be best for me and my baby. I really wanted to feel right about choosing a home birth, but I didn't. And I knew I needed to feel confident going into labor. A friend mentioned that she had heard of one doctor who delivers at the local hospital who was more friendly towards natural childbirth, but she didn't know the name. I decided to take the maternity tour at the hospital and see what I could learn. At one point during the nurse's presentation, an OB walked into the room to steal a cookie and made a couple of comments. The minute I saw her, I thought "I like that doctor". During the tour of the unit, I asked lots of questions. At one point I asked about squatting bars and if any of the providers who deliver here did squatting deliveries--the nurse said "you just met Dr. W". Bingo! When everyone trooped back to the classroom I hung back and went to find Dr. W, who cheerfully agreed to talk to me for a few minutes. We talked for several minutes and my first impression was confirmed--I like this doctor. She told me her philosophy is that doctors should not intervene in labor and birth unless it is truly necessary, and she is very supportive of natural birth and of letting women labor and birth as they feel best. Of course working within a hospital environment still means some limitations, but having a provider who is supportive is a huge benefit. I suppose you can never really know in advance how a doctor will act at the actual birth, but I feel confident in trusting my instincts on this one. I feel like I've found the right provider and setting for this birth, and I'm not stressed about it any more.

8 Years Ago...

2009-12-28T08:06:00.000-08:00

I have many reasons to love the month of December. Today is one of the most important. Eight years ago we became husband and wife, and a new family was born. We were surrounded that day by our families, and I remember seeing our joy mirrored in their faces and feeling the approval and encouragement of generations. The dress I wore was my grandmother's wedding gown, made for her by my great-grandmother; I knew that as we worked to forge our own link in a family chain, we would always be upheld and supported by those who loved us.

Thoughts about Christmas

2009-12-27T10:19:00.000-08:00

Every year, we have a marvelous opportunity to celebrate not only the birth but the life and atoning sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I have always wanted Christmas in my family to be centered on the Savior, on his life and gift to us. Our secular world, of course, twists Christmas around: instead of gratitude, we are offered greed. Instead of worship, we are offered parties. Instead of the Son of God coming to earth to be born in humble circumstances, to live, die and rise again in fulfillment of the ancient promise of Salvation, we are offered a "magical" Santa with flying reindeer, bringing trivial gifts of no lasting significance.

I don't believe that Christmas needs to be stripped of fun. I enjoy singing "Jingle Bells" and reading "The Night Before Christmas". I enjoy decorating a tree and exchanging gifts. But it seems to me that the "fun" of Christmas can all to easily overshadow the true joy of Christmas.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about ways to make Christmas in my own family a time of rejoicing in the birth of our Savior, a time of gratitude and giving. We intentionally make the receiving of gifts a low-key event--our children were delighted to find that Santa (they know that means mom and dad, but it's still fun to pretend) had filled their stockings with a few small gifts. We didn't have a gift exchange within the family--my family always had the children draw names and exchange gifts, but I had decided to have them exchange gifts for their birthdays instead. Christmas Eve was spent taking Christmas music to a friend and reading and acting out the Nativity story. I felt very, very content on Christmas day. But I feel that there is a lot more we could do, especially in the area of GIVING at Christmastime.

I liked this post over at Choosing Joy. This family thought a lot about how to invite Jesus to his own birthday celebration, and came up with some wonderful ideas. Instead of exchanging family gifts on Christmas Day, they chose to focus on a birthday celebration for Jesus and their gifts to him. In addition to any private, internal gifts, every family member had a budget they could use for charitable gifts to various organizations. I like this idea and see it as something that even small children could participate in a get excited about--could they donate chickens to a family in the third world? Or blankets to an orphanage? There are various organizations that make such gifts possible. In addition, it would be really nice to do some hands-on work: perhaps sewing receiving blankets, knitting baby hats, putting together hygiene kits or school kits to be sent where they are needed. I would also like to find more local ways to serve--adopting a family for the season, sharing musical talents, anything we can think of. I would love to have input from others on what they have done that has worked with small children, or what they think might work.

We could make Christmas day purely a celebration of the birth of Christ, and choose another day for a gift exchange. In many European countries, Saint Nicholas leaves his gifts on his feast day, December 6th. Maybe we could do our Christmas stockings then. Epiphany, or the feast of the Three Kings, celebrates the coming of the Wise Men on January 6th--this might be a good day for an exchange of family gifts. I know some families that exchange only home-made gifts, and I like this idea too.

I like the idea of celebrating the 12 days of Christmas from December 25th through January 5th. Maybe this could be a time to focus on special family activities and acts of kindness within the family and beyond. I also like the idea of paying special attention to the Advent season before Christmas. Formal celebration of Advent seems to originate with the more liturgical church traditions, but many other Christians seem to be adopting aspects of the celebration of Advent that help them focus on the coming of Christ. I like the idea of studying the prophecies about Christ's coming, and making the weeks leading up to Christmas a time of expectant waiting for the great miracle of His birth. In addition, this can be a season to remember that, like the people in ancient times who awaiting the First coming of the Messiah, we should be just as ardently awaiting and preparing for his Second coming.

So--my mind is full of thoughts and ideas about celebrating Christmas. I would really love to hear what others are doing or would like to do to use this season to truly center our lives on Christ.

Making A Home Management Binder

2009-12-26T18:01:00.000-08:00

Home management is on my mind today, and someone pointed me to this blog article on how to make a home management binder. I think I will try it.

Christmas Day

2009-12-26T09:54:00.000-08:00

We kept Christmas simple--Santa brought only stocking stuffers, there were a few gifts from family members. Everyone was happy. Lily enjoyed decorating the gingerbread village, Esther's favorite present was her pink mittens, and Luke spent hourse making playdough eggs.

Funny quotes:

Lily, going to bed on Christmas Eve, to mom: "Santa, don't forget to fill the stockings!" (Yes, ma'am. I won't forget. Why is it you assume I am responsible for that job and not dad?)

Luke, on Christmas morning: "I gave my jelly beans (from his stocking) to Esther because I'm trying to stay off of sugar."